tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post800126674061777434..comments2024-03-28T05:22:10.255-07:00Comments on Broadsword by Ajai Shukla - Strategy. Economics. Defence.: India-Russia relationship hits a rough patchBroadswordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13076780076240598482noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post-60472743313122797992007-12-23T02:52:00.000-08:002007-12-23T02:52:00.000-08:00Mr Shukla, I may add that the idea of suspecting M...Mr Shukla, I may add that the idea of suspecting Mr. Antony's motives is also that of Mr. Aroor, from his article (and TV news report on HT), titled, "What's the deal Mr. Antony ?"<BR/><BR/>Thanks.<BR/><BR/>Reference :<BR/>http://livefist.blogspot.com/2007/12/whats-deal-mr-antony.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post-90621610078709493612007-12-17T03:57:00.000-08:002007-12-17T03:57:00.000-08:00The Indo-Russian relationship is dead in the water...The Indo-Russian relationship is dead in the water. Any attempts to rekindle warmth in this old marriage are futile. <BR/><BR/>It has been nothing but inertia that has been keeping the diplomatic rhetoric at the "we are friends and brothers" level. There is no substance to it, and this has become patent especially in the 2000's.<BR/><BR/>What we are seeing here is Russia's re-emergence as a rival political power centre to the US. The only difference is, Putin's blustering rhetoric isn't empty. He has burgeoning oil revenues to back it up and he's got Europe by the proverbial balls when it comes to energy dependedncy. He can turn the taps on or off. <BR/><BR/>Russia's armed services have been aching for an influx of cash and over the next 8 years or so, they're going to be getting about 180 billion USD. Russia has the will and the potential to challenge American unipolarity.<BR/><BR/>This is where the Chinese come in. A watertight Sino-Russian strategic alliance is in the offing.<BR/><BR/>I find it very easy to make a prediction. Isn't it obvious? Blocks are forming all over again. It is Russia & China at one pole and an overstretched Uncle Sam at the other, battling to preserve his hegemony.<BR/><BR/>Clearly, India is going to have to pick a side. The national interests of India and the US are converging like no other. The US can't rely on a comfortable unipolarity. They need us and we need them. Reciprocity. A perfect foundation for any sustainable reationship. We are too weak to recast a new world order on our own. A US-India-Israel axis (perhaps EU?) will balance out anything the Russians and the Chinese can muster.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post-74025214091434096792007-12-15T12:10:00.000-08:002007-12-15T12:10:00.000-08:00Mr. Shukla, one more area of major concern is Russ...Mr. Shukla, one more area of major concern is Russia's approval to supply Pakistan with RD-93 engines for the Sino-Pak JF-17 fighter planes. This year, two JF-17 planes were transported to PAF to take part in a National military parade, and which were installed with Russian RD-93 engines.<BR/><BR/>Zee news reported this<BR/><BR/><I>The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) chief, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood Ahmed, told the British journal at the just-concluded Dubai Air Show that the PAF expects to receive the first eight JF-17s powered by RD-93 engines under a "small batch order" over the next few months.<BR/><BR/>In a thinly veiled reference to nuclear rival India lobbying Russia to pressure China into not clearing the engine for re-export to Pakistan, Ahmed dismissed concerns over the RD-93 as "an issue created from here and there".<BR/><BR/>Senior military officers in New Delhi said this setback was yet another instance of India's impotence in dealing firmly with Russia, its largest defence equipment supplier.</I><BR/><BR/>I think it will be a "painful" effort to accept that Russia is motivated strictly by commercial interests, and that the Soviet-Indian type of relations no longer present. Globalization---unlike cold-war polarization---also has the effect of nuclearizing all entities; families, companies (with a 'global footprint') and even nations. <BR/><BR/>Russia and Russian interests are also nuclearized :- "<I>From a nation that strictly practiced and promoted Communism to a closely-knit group of satellite nations, today, it is an identity-less monolith whose commercial interests are driven by quick pragmatic turns of events. Pakistan wants Russian engine ? Money for Russia ? So be it. India objects Gorshkov ? Hire professional negotiators and convince. NASA wants Soyuz flight services ? Income for Russia ? Okay. US puts missile defences in East Europe ? Sell weapons to Iran. Meeting with president Bush on his ranch next month ? Da ! And invite him to Putin's dacha next.</I><BR/><BR/>Globalization began very early on, when George Bush's grandfather was convicted and found guilty of supplying some hardware to Nazis. IBM has not denied charges for providing punched-card computers to track down and exterminate Jews more efficiently. The same phenomenon is being repeated with Russia today. <B>Today its RD-93 engines for Pakistan, tomorrow it may well be MiGs.</B><BR/><BR/>So instead of lamenting, "Oh what's happened to our good old Russia of yore", we must accept the reality and commit ourselves to self-reliance and self-dependence.<BR/><BR/>We like caterpillars more than the insects they germinate into. The Soviet Union in the polarized globe was good. This new nation in the globalized world is not.<BR/><BR/>Thank you.<BR/><BR/>References :-<BR/><BR/>http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=408393&sid=WOR&sname=<BR/><BR/>Print editorial.Abhimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725190272782358248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8726844009873922462.post-24497344852570883032007-12-14T05:53:00.000-08:002007-12-14T05:53:00.000-08:00Ajai:India has a lot to gain from Russia by mainta...Ajai:<BR/><BR/>India has a lot to gain from Russia by maintaining and strengthening this relationship. But what does Russia gain from this? Is there a quid pro quo? <BR/>Eventually it will be Russian commercial interests being fulfilled by India's need for a strategic anchor. The strength of the anchor will be measured during turbulent times.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07678292894701210013noreply@blogger.com